Department of Political Science

The long-time collaborators and co-authors of Why Nations Fail were honored by the University's Department of Political Science for their work toward essentially building a new theory of political economy.

As the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists meets to evaluate scenarios for man-made catastrophe, Rochester scientists worry current risk levels are “way too high."

The third Bright Line Watch survey, co-authored by Rochester political scientist Gretchen Helmke, focuses on the health of U.S. democratic institutions and compares the results from thousands of political professionals with the general public.

Historian Derek Peterson '93 has been awarded one of this year's John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowships—commonly known as the “genius grant”—for his work in reshaping the understanding of African colonialism and nationalism.

Naomi Rutagarama ’18 reports on a visit to Kumasi, the seat of power of the Ashanti kingdom, where an important ceremony takes place every sixth Sunday.

The hostess of a popular Parisian salon, the role of presidential power, and bullying and aggression among teenage girls are among the topics examined in new books by Rochester faculty. Here’s a selection of recent work.

In their senior capstone projects, students take on original research on topics as varied as housing policy in South Africa and campaign spending in the United States.

When conducting field research around the world, young social scientists can often feel as if they are starting from scratch. A new website envisioned by political scientist Gretchen Helmke will help scholars share resources with other social scientists on the ground.

Each academic year, Rochester faculty members publish books that advance scholarship and investigate questions of broad interest. New Reads offers a selection of some of their most recent work.

On April 6, 1917, Congress voted to declare war on Germany, joining the bloody battle—then optimistically called the “Great War.” Rochester political scientist Hein Goemans explains why Germany was willing to risk American entry into the war.